"I honestly thought it was a prank call but after some explanation I realised it was true and I was just lost for words.

"My goal for this year was just to get the experience and get some A-League minutes behind me, I certainly wasn't expecting to be anywhere near a 30-man Socceroos squad."

Having only made his first start for Adelaide United against Sydney FC on January 20, McGree has impressed Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou enough to be named among a 30-man squad to play Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

"I just think he's a really exciting talent," Postecoglou said.

"I watched him from the first couple of games he played and he made you stand up and notice him straight away for a young guy.

"He's been playing not in his best position in the last few weeks for his club who are going through a difficult time.

"Not playing in his favourite position, he's shown real good temperament and ability to tackle the task ahead of him. I'm really excited by him."

The squad will be trimmed to 23 after this weekend's matches, although the Reds have the weekend off.

"Riley is a good chance to make the 23," Postecoglou said.

"He's certainly not there [just] because I want to put his name among the 30 players. He's definitely one in the frame."

Hard worker who wants the ball

Promoted to the Reds senior team ahead of the 2016-17 season, McGree comes from the town of Gawler, north of Adelaide, where he played junior football with the Gawler Eagles Soccer Club.

His progression earned him a call-up to the Adelaide United Youth Team and the Australian Under-17 side before he signed a senior contract with the Reds until the end of 2018.

McGree's first A-League goal came in his second start, a 2-2 draw against Wellington Phoenix.

A self-described "hardworking box-to-box midfielder", the teenager is renowned within the Adelaide United set-up as being determined, gritty but modest.

"I'm just a hard worker, always work for the team, always give my best for the team, go in hard and I like to show some aggression," McGree said.

"I want the ball, I want to win and I'm a winner, but an all-round team player."

While he will be hard pressed to nudge out regular Socceroos Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, Massimo Luongo and Mark Milligan for a central midfield position, simply being mentioned in the same breath is a thrill.

"They're such high-calibre players that have been around the game for a while so just learning from them would be a great experience for me."